Cowboys and Xybrains
by Mariko Azrael
Summary: [PRTF] After investigating a crash outside the fair town of Silver Hills, Deputy Walker meets someone far from home. [Takes places in the Wild West Rangers universe, semi AU, so preseries it's not funny]


Disclaimer: Saban and Disney's, not mine

Notes: Okay, this going to take some explaining.

This is a Time Force fic, but it takes place in the Wild West Rangers universe (Which is about as close to an Elseworlds as we're probably ever going to get in PR). Meaning this is about the ancestors who look and to some extent act like their contemporary counterparts, and is at least semi-AU. This was meant to cracked out, I promise.

And before anyone asks... I did intentionally leave the story open for continuation, but I also have a lot of other things to write. Plus, I'm lazy. I do have a basic plot figured out, and might actually do it depending on if I think it'd be fun to write. At the risk of sounding like the hacks who beg for reviews of else they'll never finish their fic (oh, if only), I really am interested in what people think.

* * *

_**Silver Hills, 1881**_

"Looks like I have another evening all to myself."

Deputy Kaylee Walker sighed heavily and leaned back in her chair, boots resting on the desk. With a gentleness that contrasted with the way she treated her furniture, she unfolded a well-worn sheet of paper. She knew all of Ma's letters by heart, but seeing the handwriting made her seem not that far away.

Kaylee didn't regret leaving home and going out West. Her family needed all the money she could send them, Sheriff Stone was a decent man, and Silver Hills was a peaceful little town. It wasn't unusual for the jail to go empty for weeks in a row. But on nights like this, with nothing but pieces of paper to keep her company, well... she got more than a little lonesome.

Deciding she needed to stretch her limbs, Kaylee ambled over to take a peek outside the jail's one window, wiping off as much dirt as she could with her hand. What she saw made her grin for the first time that night.

"Well, I'll be... a shootin' star." She hadn't made a wish on one since she was a little girl, but nobody else was here, so why not?

"It'd be awful nice if I had some company," her voice trailed off as she noticed that the star seemed to be getting bigger, and was heading in the direction of just outside the city.

She could see the crash from the window.

Without thinking, Deputy Walker grabbed her coat, her gun, and bolted.

* * *

Whatever it was, it hadn't actually crashed in Silver Hills, which meant there was a good chance nobody was even hurt and she was riding out to the coast for nothing. But there was also a chance that someone was out fishing, or some kids were exploring as far as their parents would allow, or some poor soul had decided to go for a walk after dinner. 

Kaylee urged her horse onward.

When they got far enough to see the star was really a bunch of twisted, smoking metal, Kaylee dismounted and went to search by herself. No sense in both of them getting killed if things went bad. She kept her hand on her sidearm, taking in the scene. It wasn't pretty, but not anything that she had been worried about... until she saw a bleeding body a few feet away.

Legs pumping furiously, she dashed over, grabbing him in her arms. "Hey! Hey! Wake up!" He was a young boy... except she had never seen a boy with hair green as grass or what looked like a rock in the middle of his forehead before. She pushed that to the back of her mind and shook him hard. It worked; his eyelids fluttered open and for a second he seemed to be aware of her, but then he was gone again, green head slumped against her arm.

She looked down at him, then up at the wreckage, and had a sickening feeling in her gut that they had to get out of there, now. Scooping him up in her arms like he weighed nothing, she made a mad dash for something approaching safety, diving behind the first big rock she saw. And as everything went up in fire and metal behind them, she had another feeling that things were getting to get a lot worse.

* * *

"I don't see how it can get any worse." 

"Don't say that."

"No, really! The paper's claiming One-Eyed Bulk's in town and got his hands on dynamite, the preacher's claiming it's end times again, and I've got half the town folk fitting me for a noose if I don't find some answers!" Sheriff Stone wiped off the beads of sweat that had gathered on his forehead. "Are you sure you didn't see anything odd?"

Kaylee leaned against her doorjamb. "All I saw last night was stars and sand, Sheriff. But if you want, I could go out now and take another look."

Stone shook his head. "No, you've already done more than enough. In fact, I reckon you've earned the night off. I don't want the people of our fair city sinkin' their teeth into you, too." He tossed her a salute before leaving.

"Y'know, the Sheriff is a good man. Not many folks like him left these days," she said as she made sure her door was locked and the curtains were drawn. "I don't like lying to him none." Kaylee perched on the corner of the bed. It had almost been a whole day, and the kid was still out. "But I can't tell him the truth without letting him know that you had something to do with it."

She hadn't been sure what to do with him once she'd gotten him home. Hair and forehead aside, he seemed as normal as she was, so she had wrapped up the parts of him that were bleeding and gave him some water. But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something... off about him. Not bad, but not normal either.

It was about then that she noticed that he was stirring. He stretched like he woke up in her bed every morning and looked up at her, blinking sleepily.

"Well, good mornin', Sleeping Beauty. I was starting to think I was gonna have to kiss you to wake you up."

Without warning, he bolted upright, looking around, and then hid his face in his hands, talking to himself in words she had never heard before. She couldn't begin to guess what he was saying, but tone was similar to Sheriff Stone's when he was telling her his troubles.

"Whatever it is you're sayin', I can't understand..."

He glanced at her with an intense look on his face. She didn't see him open his mouth, but she knew he said, _It'll take time to absorb your language telepathically, so I'm going to have to communicate with you this way for now--_

"Whoa. Hang on." She put a hand on his shoulder. "... How'd you do that?"

His expression was a mix of guilt and impatience. _I have to go._

"I thought I said hold on." She tightened her grip a little. "Not only are you in no shape to get out of bed, I don't take kindly to people who blow up a good chunk of the shoreline and run." Kaylee softened her voice a little. "Who are you, anyway?"

_The closest thing in your language would be, 'deputy'._ His lips twisted upwards, but it wasn't a smile. She imagined if he ever did smile for real, he'd have a pretty one._ And I wish I could tell you what happened, but it's all one big blur. That's why I need to get back to my ship now, there might be some clue as to what did happen._ He winced in pain as he scooted off the bed. _I need to at least see if I can repair the damage._

She didn't let go. "All right. But I'm not letting you go by yourself. You gotta understand, there are a few things about you people are bound to notice. I can get you out of here quiet as a ghost... plus the only way to get there is by horse. **My **horse."

He didn't say (or think) anything, but the way his mouth twisted told everything she needed to know.

* * *

"So you can really teach yourself how to talk by poking around in my head?" 

_It takes time..._ "But yes."

Kaylee poked at a jagged piece of metal with the toe of her boot. "And you're really from outer space? Like I could see your home if I look up at night?"

_It's too far for that, I'm afraid._ He darted from one piece of what had been the ship to the next, tinkering with some, putting others in a bag, face grim the entire time. _Everything's ruined. I can't even send out a distress signal._ Suddenly looking helpless, he leaned one of the larger parts of wreckage. _I'm all alone._

She reached out to him but didn't touch him, knowing she needed to do something, even though she wasn't sure what yet. "... There's this inventor in Angel Grove, calls himself Cranston. He might be able to help you."

_Thank you. Really. But you've already done too much, and it's too much of a risk to let somebody else have a chance to find out who I really am._

"Do you really have much of a choice? 'Sides, Angel Grove is only an hour away by horseback. And I do have some free time."

Slowly, he nodded his head. _All right. I guess I have nothing else to lose, right?_

"That's the spirit!" She slapped him on the back as she led him back to her mare. "Hey, by the way, I know you said you're sort of deputy back where you're from, but you never gave me your name."

He bit his lip thoughtfully. _I'm not really fond of my real name... you can call me Trip for now._

"Trip it is," she grinned as they she took the reins in her hands again. And with that, Kaylee and Trip rode off into the sunset.


End file.
